So Many Boys (The Naughty List #2)(12)

I was still gasping, staring at him. When he wasn’t doubled over in fear, Kira’s boyfriend was quite a catch. He had short, messy-but-cute brown hair, big hazel eyes, and a killer T-shirt collection. “Sorry,” I said absently, letting the door close behind me with a clank. My mind was fuzzy from the adrenaline rush.

He raised his head to look at me, exhaling loudly. “I didn’t mean to freak out. I was just coming to find Kira and—”

“She went looking for you. She said you guys were going to talk about outer space.” Which—in my opinion—was a weird conversation. But I didn’t judge. My ex-boyfriend (sort of) was into toes.

Joel stepped back and laughed, shaking his head. He smiled, his lips revealing one slightly crooked tooth. It was adorable. “Like, astronauts outer space?” he asked.

I nodded, glancing behind him into the crowded hallway. I must have looked distressed because Joel reached out to touch my hand. I quickly yanked it away, thrown off by the contact.

He apologized. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean…I…Are you okay?” His eyebrows were pulled together; he seemed concerned. I felt bad for acting like a spaz, but I couldn’t shake my anxiety.

“No,” I said, then paused. “I mean, yes, I’m fine. Thank you for asking. And again, sorry for almost hitting you with the door.”

Joel watched me. “Eh, no big deal.” He shrugged. “A broken nose would have added character.” He grinned at me, setting me at ease again. Something about him was just nice. He hadn’t meant anything by the hand touch. I was just on edge. I sighed.

“Are you heading down the English hallway?” I asked, motioning in that direction.

“Uh…sure.”

I couldn’t remember where Kira’s first class was, but I knew it wasn’t in that direction. Still, I was just happy for any company after my self-induced scare.

The crowded hallways had nearly emptied by the time we started walking. I was going to be totally tardy, but in light of all the drama that just went down, I didn’t mind. At least in detention I couldn’t be stalked. Wait. Could I?

“Can I ask you something?” Joel said, turning to look at me.

“Of course.” It was so polite of him to check!

“What exactly did Kira tell you she and I were meeting about? I’m pretty sure I’m not going to space camp anytime soon.”

“She said it was something about space.” I paused, just realizing how silly that sounded. Why would Joel want to talk about outer—“Oh,” I held up one finger. “You meant…space, space?” I gasped. “Joel? Are you breaking up with her?” My heart nearly leapt from my chest. He couldn’t break up with Kira—they were perfect together.

“No!” Joel put his hand on my bare upper arm, warming my skin.

“Oh.”

“Definitely not.”

“Sorry I—”

“It’s just—”

“Sorry. Go ahead—”

“You talk—”

I reached up to cover his mouth with my hand. Just then, the late bell rang and I paused, my palm slightly damp from the wetness of his mouth.

“Mm hm mm hm mmmm,” he said, tickling my fingers.

I scrunched my nose. “What?”

Joel pointed to my hand. I widened my eyes and dropped my arm. “Sorry!”

When I wiped my palm on my jeans, he smiled. “I said you can probably take your hand off my mouth now.”

“Right.”

“Yep.”

Joel and I faced each other, late for class. The sleeve of his black vintage Aerosmith T-shirt was folded slightly where it met his bicep, and I had to fight the urge to smooth it out. Instead I pressed my lips together in a smile.

“For the record,” Joel said quietly. “I was meeting Kira to ask if she wanted some space. Not outer space.” He shrugged. “She hasn’t been around much lately. She calls it ‘captain stress.’ ”

A potent combination of guilt and sadness filled me. I hated to think of Kira becoming distraught over cheerleading. Cheerleading was meant to embody positivity and school spirit. To feel stressed over it was completely tragic.

“I’m sure she doesn’t want space,” I confided, leaning close enough to Joel to bump his shoulder encouragingly with my own. “It’s probably just because homecoming is in a few weeks. Things will get back to normal soon.” I hoped I looked more convincing than I felt.

He studied me. “You’re probably right.”

“Right? I definitely haven’t heard that in a while.”

Joel gave me a strange look, as though he was about to say something. Instead, he just smiled. “I’ll see you around, Tess.” He turned to walk back the way we’d come.

“Nice talking with you,” I called after him. Then I watched as he rounded the corner, leaving me alone in the hallway.

ASSIGNMENT 2

1:00 A.M., SEPTEMBER 15

The operative drove aimlessly around the city, thinking about Jenn’s case. Something wasn’t sitting right. The operative hadn’t gotten proof of either suspect actually cheating, but she was sure that whatever they were up to wasn’t so innocent. Did the original SOS have problems like this? Weren’t all cheats one-hundred percent?